The appalling lack of affordable and easily customised choices in chassis designs, a similar lack of choice in audio transformers, and for solid-state amps, finding a suitable heatsink for your project but not having any convenient way of mounting it to anything!!! this one annoys me the most.
Sheldon said:
Both. So we have
T_free = T_day - (T_hyg + T_woman) (1)
The more you spend time with woman, the more you become like them, and start to worry about being clean, so
d T_hyg/dt = k * T_woman (2)
This yields, in the Laplace domain,
F_free = delta(s) -(ks +1) * F_woman
So, depending on initial conditions, I think your free time will tend towards zero, or towards your whole day. Eventually you will either have lots of kids and no fine amps, or will become a DIY master, but will contribute to the extinction of our beloved and rare species...
1- Twist each filament wire pair, then twist all of them together, solder to the transfomer and find out a wire is in the wrong place after all the wiring is complete inside the messy chassis -> no glowing valves...
;
2- Wiring the volume pot (even worse if it's stereo);
3- Decide what to use for a chassis and looking at the dollar shops for something already made that will be pleasing and unusual when finished.
;2- Wiring the volume pot (even worse if it's stereo);
3- Decide what to use for a chassis and looking at the dollar shops for something already made that will be pleasing and unusual when finished.
I used to hate chassiswork.
Nowdays all my DIYing goes to aluminium briefcase. Really boxy looking and thick aluminium. Not the businessmodels
Some reasons:
It's openable
It's metal
It looks different but is cheap
It has handle
Usually they are standard sizes. Atleast ones with sane make are.
and finally when I'm not using device, I twist of outer parts put them insade briefcase and it's stackable. That ometimes needs some extra work. Heatsink, tranistors and two D-connetors are my usual way getting that done. Tubes would be much easier Next project will be making one in those case.
My closet looks funny. Two computers, labPSU, two SS amplifiers and some hobbystuff. No toolbox there and I have 9 cases piled up Tools are in three other boxes.
That problem is solved for me. So who want's to clean up for me without messing my dynamic archiving system?
Nowdays all my DIYing goes to aluminium briefcase. Really boxy looking and thick aluminium. Not the businessmodels
Some reasons:
It's openable
It's metal
It looks different but is cheap
It has handle
Usually they are standard sizes. Atleast ones with sane make are.
and finally when I'm not using device, I twist of outer parts put them insade briefcase and it's stackable. That ometimes needs some extra work. Heatsink, tranistors and two D-connetors are my usual way getting that done. Tubes would be much easier
Next project will be making one in those case.My closet looks funny. Two computers, labPSU, two SS amplifiers and some hobbystuff. No toolbox there and I have 9 cases piled up
Tools are in three other boxes.That problem is solved for me. So who want's to clean up for me without messing my dynamic archiving system?
Finding that I need to drill additional holes in a chassis that already has lots of electronics wired up. having to make sure the metal bits don't get lodged into hard to access spots that might short something out, and the vibration from the drilling that might break something in the existing electronics.
And why do drill bit makers insist on making larger sized bits longer? I've had it happen that the chassis I was working on fit into the drill press okay with the smaller bits, but not the larger bit I needed to finish the hole.
And why do drill bit makers insist on making larger sized bits longer? I've had it happen that the chassis I was working on fit into the drill press okay with the smaller bits, but not the larger bit I needed to finish the hole.
Like:
1) The sweet smell of success
2) Making up my mind on which idea to turn into a project, and starting it
3) Plugging in a fresh build and hearing sweet sound
4) Figuring out a new design on the breadboard in a single day
5) the electronics of amp building
6) getting all of the parts to build that cool amp
Dislike:
1)The pungent smell of a toasted transformer
2) Changing my mind halfway through and never finishing
3) Plugging in a fresh build, and hearing the sizzle of toasted parts
4) Taking 6 months to turn a breadboard design into a real amp
5) The mechanics of amp building
6) getting the VISA bill for those parts
A few observations:
NIC1138: there is another variable in that equation, money! It is however a dependent variable, inversely proportional to T_free (job) and also inversely proportional to T_woman.
Women do not understand why we need more amplifiers, or more horsepower. We do not understand the need for seven pillows on the bed, that you can not use, 10 pairs of shoes, or 6 different purses. It is best agreed that these things are not meant to be understood.
Sherri and I have been taking woodworking classes at the local community school (for amplifier chassis of course). She still won't understand the need for that new miter saw in the garage either.
marsupialx: I know the feeling. I work in a facility that houses at least 1000 engineers. There are 3 of us who play with tubes. there are 997 who ask, WHY?
1) The sweet smell of success
2) Making up my mind on which idea to turn into a project, and starting it
3) Plugging in a fresh build and hearing sweet sound
4) Figuring out a new design on the breadboard in a single day
5) the electronics of amp building
6) getting all of the parts to build that cool amp
Dislike:
1)The pungent smell of a toasted transformer
2) Changing my mind halfway through and never finishing
3) Plugging in a fresh build, and hearing the sizzle of toasted parts
4) Taking 6 months to turn a breadboard design into a real amp
5) The mechanics of amp building
6) getting the VISA bill for those parts
A few observations:
NIC1138: there is another variable in that equation, money! It is however a dependent variable, inversely proportional to T_free (job) and also inversely proportional to T_woman.
Women do not understand why we need more amplifiers, or more horsepower. We do not understand the need for seven pillows on the bed, that you can not use, 10 pairs of shoes, or 6 different purses. It is best agreed that these things are not meant to be understood.
Sherri and I have been taking woodworking classes at the local community school (for amplifier chassis of course). She still won't understand the need for that new miter saw in the garage either.
marsupialx: I know the feeling. I work in a facility that houses at least 1000 engineers. There are 3 of us who play with tubes. there are 997 who ask, WHY?
Being clumsy, I hate:
* Chassis work.
* Soldering to things that don't want to accept the solder, e.g. a lot of tube sockets I've tried; many resistors; Veroboard, to the extend that I swear I will never use it again.
* Soldering in very cramped/confined spaces.
* Burning cable insulation accidentally with the soldering iron (I did this once to the lead of the soldering iron itself and only realized it afer several annoying shocks).
* 3-legged fuses, a.k.a. transistors - only go to look at 'em and they blow up.
* Finding out a cap is no good, after wasting hours trying to trace the fault.
* Chassis work.
* Soldering to things that don't want to accept the solder, e.g. a lot of tube sockets I've tried; many resistors; Veroboard, to the extend that I swear I will never use it again.
* Soldering in very cramped/confined spaces.
* Burning cable insulation accidentally with the soldering iron (I did this once to the lead of the soldering iron itself and only realized it afer several annoying shocks).
* 3-legged fuses, a.k.a. transistors - only go to look at 'em and they blow up.
* Finding out a cap is no good, after wasting hours trying to trace the fault.